1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for attaching electrical components to a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus for attaching electrical components to a vehicle in which the apparatus increases the rigidity of the rear floor pan of the vehicle.
2. Description of Background Information
Electrical power train components have been conventionally mounted to a vehicle by attaching batteries and other heavy electrical components directly to the rear floor pan of the vehicle. As the floor pan is often incapable of rigidly supporting the weight of these components, a sufficiently rigid mounting structure for electrical power train components has been difficult to obtain.
The prior art includes structures that mount electrical drive train components to a rear floor pan behind a vehicle seat. For instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent No. 2002-205556 (see pages 4 and 5 and FIG. 1) discloses a structure conventionally employed to mount electrical power train components to a vehicle including battery trays on which multiple batteries are placed before installation to the vehicle, thereby allowing the structure to be divided among battery trays, each having a weight that can be easily handled by the assembly technicians.
Japanese Unexamined Patent No. 2002-205555 (see claims and pages 3 to 5 and FIGS. 1 to 3) discloses a structure in which both ends of a battery hold-down bracket are attached to a battery tray. A U-bolt connects to the battery tray through a bead part located between each battery, the bead part locating each battery in respect to the hold-down bracket, and each U-bolt joining to a groove provided within the bead part.
Japanese Unexamined Patent No. 2001-328439 (see claims and FIG. 1) discloses a structure in which right and left side gussets are attached to the top of the vehicle's rear suspension members, such that the stress applied to the gussets is received directly or indirectly through the battery case and connecting plates.
In order to solve the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention proposes a structure through which electrical drive train components may be more rigidly supported by the rear floor pan behind the seat of a vehicle. The invention provides for a rear floor pan that includes a U-shaped part transversely oriented in the center of the vehicle, and floor pan wing panels, which are formed as extending members on both sides of the U-shaped part, that connect to a vehicle's side panels. An electrical component mounting rack is provided that includes a first frame fixedly attached to the U-shaped part of the rear floor pan, and a second frame fixedly attached to the top of the first frame, and is also attached to the floor pan wing panels. An electrical inverter device is installed on the first frame and electrical batteries are installed on the second frame.